BMW 5 Series 520d SE Reviews

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BMW 5 Series 520d SE
★★★★☆
4.3
75.0% of users recommend this
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Latest Reviews

“BMW 520 D SE REVIEW”

★★★☆☆

written by GMC500 on 24/01/2016

Purchased a nearly new 520 D SE in June 2015 which was my first BMW. Previously had Mazda 6 and Insignia SRI. A very nice and smooth car perhaps let down by a couple of small but significant omissions/details. The major issue is the lack of space in the rear . It has less space than the mazda and Insignia which surprised and disappointed me. The interior space design is very poor. The seats only have manual adjustment for forward/ back and on this level of car i would expect electric adjustment. There are no front fog lights on the SE nor fold back mirrors which are important on a car which is quite wide. The switch gear used for the radio and heating controls seems quite cheap and has a poor feel and also seems 20 years out of date. There also seems to be a myriad of design used for the switch gear generally with some being new and soft feel . The information on the main dash is very haphazard with info appearing everywhere in a quite random layout. The controls for radio , navigator are hopeless with a silly big turn switch in an awkward location. The interior materials use door window area are quiet hard and seem cheap. also the area around drivers left knee is also uncomfortable and again cheap hard materials seem to have been used. The top of the boot area is actually bare metal which was very surprising and something i haven't seen in any car for many years. Overall the car lacks the substantive feel of my friends Volkswagen and even my Insignia. Could be due to use of hi tech materials but it just doesn't feel a solid car compared to VW, Vx Drives well and goes well with good engine and good auto box. I wouldn't buy another as normal marques have caught up and over taken BMW in many keys areas such as interior design and use of space and solidity.

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“BMW 520d (F10) Brilliant car!”

★★★★★

written by MrC-esq on 22/04/2013

First BM after another German car manufacture. Mine 520d SE. with Sport auto gearbox, steering wheel, VDC, adaptive lighting. Boring bits - on a run if taking it steady, close to speed limits I can easily get 50+ mpg ( highest to day over 100 miles plus has been 58, which is I think exceptional). However on normal commuting - ~ 30 - 40 miles a day the average is 'only' around 44-48mpg. The gear box is very good, not perfect but not far off. The VDC is a useful addition, 'sport' does firm things up nicely while still remaining comfortable for long distances. It is a shame you can not configure the drive modes separately from the 'suspension' modes as I like the way the Eco mode hangs on to the gears better / less changes, allowing you to use the engines torque rather than (too?) early down shifts. I must admit that the flappy paddles 'manual' mode is rather superfluous to 99% of driving. I have done 600 miles a day in this car and not felt at all drained, I only wish I could get a job driving one about all day! One thing that I find outstanding is the adaptive and Xenon lighting, if you ever drive on unlit roads it is simply a tremendous step forward in driver benefit and safety on bendy roads - you really should add this one on! I use winter tyres on the standard 17" wheels and this car feel more planted than all front wheel drive cars I had! I do tend to agree that Runflats do seem to detract a little from ride comfort, also other than looks I not convinced that larger wheels offer much (any?) advantage over the standard sized 17" wheels (do note that the larger wheel and tyre sizes do decrease economy, even on BM's own website)! A well built and comfortable car with good performance and running cost balance. (Sure, I'd love a 530 / 535 but at +8K / +11K and the increased costs, how much would I actually use the difference, 5-10% of the time)?

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“Less space inside”

★★★☆☆

written by virajp on 14/08/2012

BMW is a fantastic brand to be associated with. It has got excellent road presence as well. If you have a budget of 45 - 50L then this one should has to be one of the options. I particularly like the agile handling of the car. Of course, BMW meaning performance being the FOCUS. Great pick up making 0-100 in just over 9 secs (though company claims 8.2secs). Also, has positive answers for the famous Indian questions like - Kitna Deti Hai? It doesn;t feel it’s size when driving it. It is great car if you are the driver and don’t like being driven around. The rear bench is slightly lower and the windows are on the higher side leaving you claustrophobic when seating in the back. There is a decent under thigh support but when compared with the competition does look fairly ordinary. The interiors feel great and especially beige does add to the overall richness of the dashboard. The i-Drive does need a bit of getting used to but is very convenient. The exterior looks smashing especially the corona rings (with day time running lights). The boot space is decent. The ride is bumpy which is thanks to the run flat tyres Conclusion - Go for it only if is going to be self driven or if you want BMW in any case!!

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“I have loved this car everyday I have owned it!”

★★★★★

written by daveyh70 on 19/03/2012

I bought my E60 BMW 520D SE four years ago when it was 2 years old with 40K miles on the clock. I have just sold it with 121K miles. The car has been a joy to own and I was sorry to see it go. There has been a few issues during my ownership, I have listed these below:- Wireless opening system - replaced under warranty Fuel pump relay failure - replaced under warranty Gearbox and final drive - replaced under warranty Crank shaft sensor - Replace at 105K Other than the issues above the car has driven and performed well. I like the engine there was enough power and the economy was very good (40-43 mpg). Dealership costs are fairly high, there is some room for negotiation and some dealers are better than others. I found Knights in Stoke to be very good. The runflat tyres can be expensive, they do last if you can avoid punctures and do a lot of motorway driving (a couple of times I got punctures in new tyres which is very frustrating). I liked the condition based monitoring system as this allowed me to plan for services and reduced the nasty shocks. Based on my ownership experience I bought my wife a 3 series...

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“Great car with fantasic ecconomy (54.5 mpg mixed...”

★★★★☆

written by david3826 on 15/09/2010

Great car with fantasic ecconomy (54.5 mpg mixed driving). Only problems are noise from the tyres,peeling lacquer on plastic areas of body and inefective Windscreen washers. Main problem is poor dealers that will not respond to faults and will not acknowlede problems. I have now foud a first rate dealer who has promissed to resolve the issues. Would I have another? yes probably for ecconomy and emissions.

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“BMW 520d. An outstanding car with exceptional...”

★★★★☆

written by on 04/04/2010

BMW 520d. An outstanding car with exceptional engineering and decent performance. Roomy, comfortable, very quiet, well specified and, where you can do it legally, fast. More a cruiser than a sprinter, but none the worse for that.
Genuine 47mpg is hard to beat in a largish car.
On the negative side, only one thing, the tyres. The run flat tyres are very prone to failure for no obvious reason, leaking air slowly then setting off the puncture alarm. That costs around £200 a time and can be very annoying as you only get 50 miles before a change has to be made. Not great when abroad!
Tyres apart, I would recommend it to anyone. I have bought a spare...

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“My 520 is a diesel and is a very economical car. Did a...”

★★★★★

written by on 30/01/2010

My 520 is a diesel and is a very economical car. Did a 350 mile motorway run up to Newcastle doing a steady 65-70mph and obtained just over 50mpg. I find the consumption much better when using the "auto pilot". The consumption is far better than my previous 523 petrol. The boot has increased in size expecially width ways as I can now get my full set of golf clubs in width ways - could never do this with the previous model as the 6 CD changer was located in the left hand side of the boot.
It's very nippy when I drop it into sports and has bags of power.
Just paid my insurance renewal a staggering £250 via Liverpool and Victoria. My best ever fully protected insurance ever!

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“What an awesome car. Had a BMW320 SE last time decided...”

★★★★★

written by mike on 17/03/2008

What an awesome car. Had a BMW320 SE last time decided to step up to its big brother. What a great car, massive inside, enormous boot and a dream to drive. Fantastically low emissions so did not cost much more than my last company car. Managed to get everything in the boot when camping last year which was a major feat as we took the kitchen sink with us. For some reason we seem to get a lot of punctures, is it the run flat tyres or am I unlucky? Will probably be getting the same car next time, Mercedes and Audi no where near as tax efficient.

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